USA Today recently posted an article that posed the question of how Airbnb, the new private home booking service, may be fatally impacting on the traditional hostel.

Airbnb has been very successful in attracting travelers who don’t want to pay the ever-escalating hotel prices, while also preferring the quiet of a private home to the noises and activity of commercial hotels.

The recent movie, “Last Vegas”, is an example of why the city attracts get-togethers. Four 60ish seniors decide to meet there after many decades to celebrate the upcoming wedding of one of them, a bachelor. They happily indulge in all the attractions of the city, including dining, drinking, dancing, dallying and beauty contests.

Consider a Las Vegas reunion. Were you in a long-ago teen neighborhood club, military unit, college class or group of job coworkers? Do you and some of the others want to get together after 10, 20, 30 or more years to share the memories once again? 

After your kids grew up, you had the comfortable feeling that your daily parenting days were over, and you could relax in your sunset years. Well, think again. Those same kids, now parents, are sure to ask you to take their kids on a trip. Or you’ll happily volunteer.

Whatever the reason, you now have to bring back those old skills of making sure your grandkids will have a happy and safe time with you. Here are tips that can help you make it happen.

Prepare: If you can still handle it, choose health-related travel, to include hiking, swimming and other regular exercise. Bring the kids in on the plans early, so they’ll look forward to the trip with enthusiasm.

You’ve winter in your hair, but lots of summer in your heart. If you’re single, widowed or divorced, it’s time to get out of the house and into the single senior scene.

Of course, there are plenty of lonely heart websites for meeting new people on line. However, if you’d rather make more meaningful face-to-face connections, it’s time to turn off your computer and start mingling.

Here are some suggestions about ways to meet other like-minded single seniors:

Group Travel: Sign up for a seniors-only cruise or other trip. Choose from many varieties, including art, music, church, ethnic, orientation, education level or other specific interests.